The Perfect Cheese Board
Ingredients
- Époisses
- Roquefort
- Brie (de Meaux)
- Gouda (mature or aged)
- Manchego
How should I present my cheese board?
Create the perfect cheese board by choosing a number of different types of cheese. For the ideal balance of flavors, we recommend a mix of a goat's or sheep's cheese, a cheese with a bloomy rind, a washed rind cheese, a blue cheese and a hard or semi-hard cheese.
Serve your cheese with delicious garnishes like seasonal fruit (fresh figs or passion fruit), grapes, olives, cashews, crackers and almond bread.
Tips:
Serve an uneven number of cheeses: 3, 5 or 7. Assume that each person will probably eat two to three ounces of each cheese. Serve your cheeses at room temperature for an optimal taste experience.
Last but not least, place a separate knife next to each piece of cheese to avoid cross-contamination and keep flavors pure. Every cheese has its own individual structure and is easiest to cut with its designated knife.
Toasted goat's cheese salad
From our Cheese Hero Allison Hooper (Vermont Creamery)
Ingredients
- 4 leeks (the white and light green portions only, washed and cut in half lengthways)
- 8 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- 4 Crottin cheeses, sliced in half horizontally
- 8 slices of baguette
- 1 head of romaine lettuce
- 7 ounces of cherry tomatoes, halved
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 355°F.
Place the leeks on a baking tray. Sprinkle olive oil over the leeks and add salt and pepper to taste. Place the tray in the oven for 5 minutes or until the leeks are softened but not soggy. Let the leeks cool and then thinly slice them. Place the sliced leeks into a medium-sized bowl.
To prepare the dressing, mix the mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and leeks. Let it stand for about four hours. On a baking tray, place a slice of Crottin, rind side up, on each slice of bread, then place the tray in the oven to broil for five minutes. The cheese will become soft, melting slightly and turning a golden brown color.
Place the lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl and top with the leek dressing to complete the salad. Serve it with the grilled baguette slices.
Jalapeño poppers
Ingredients
- 6 fresh jalapeños, sliced lengthwise with the seeds removed
- 3.5 ounces of room temperature cream cheese
- 2 ounces of freshly grated cheese
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon of smoked paprika
- 12 bacon slices
- 12 wooden cocktail sticks
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 390°F and cover a baking tray with baking paper.
Place the cream cheese in a bowl and add the grated cheese, garlic and paprika. Mix them together. Add salt to taste. Using a tablespoon, fill the jalapeño halves with the cheese mixture.
Wrap the cheese-filled jalapeños in bacon and use a cocktail stick to keep the bacon in place. Place the wrapped peppers on the baking tray and place the tray in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the bacon is crispy. For extra crispy bacon, you can broil the peppers for the last two minutes in the oven. Serve immediately!